Charoite

Charoite

     Hydrated Potassium Sodium Calcium Barium Strontium Silicate Hydroxide Fluoride ( (Ca, Na, K, Sr, Ba)₃ [Si₄O₁₀] [OH, F] H₂O )
     A chemical compound changeable (%): SiO₂ - 56.5, Al₂O₃ - 1.01-1.85, CaO - 20.5, K₂O - 8.5-10.5, and also oxides of barium, strontium, sodium - 0.9-3.5, fluorine, water.
     Color: from gentle - lilac up to lilac and violet.
     Hardness: 5 - 6 on Mohs scale.
     Density: 2.54 - 2.68 gr/sm³.
     Shine: glass with silky surface.
     Transparency: opaque, thin breaks are transparent.
     It is named according the place of a finding in Eastern Siberia in area of the river Chara, in deposit of Murunskiy. V.P.Rogova, the Russian scientist in 1978 opened this mineral. There isn't analogs in the world.
     Charoite is a gentle - violet, it is dark or light-lilac ore with places of non-uniform granularity, sometimes a fibrous structure, silky shine and non-uniform intensity of coloring. All variety of colors and textural figures of charoite is caused by a different relations of main minerals of this ore: canasite, charoite and a carbonate, and also accompanying them of quartz, a microwedge (celsian), aegirine, tinaksite, sphen and more rare - pectolite, ksenotlite, ekanite and others high-temperature metasomatic minerals. Charoite has the original structure and rare in the world of minerals the lilac coloring caused by presence of ions Mn³⁺. Unusually pleasant color and an originality of structure of ore, also silky surface of minerals give to it special beauty.
     Charoite is well polished mineral, the unique material for producing the wonderful products: vases, jewelry boxes, desk sets, candelabrums, jewelry, and also various inserts, cabochons in jewelry.